Deltora Knights: 1 Knights of Rin
by Captain Arianna Trouble
Summary: The Shadowlord is planning another takeover of Deltora, and Lief needs all the help he can get. Crossover w RoR. Feel free to R&R. Temp hiatus, see profile
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I am not Emily Rodda. I don't own DQ or Rowan of Rin.

AN: If you haven't read Rowan of Rin, that's okay. It takes place in Deltora…mostly.

Prologue

The Maris were known for their skills at sea. There were three tribes; the blue-robed Pandellis, the silver clad Umbray, and the Fisk in their green garments. A single Maris, the Keeper of the Crystal, was their leader. He or she held great power, and protected the seas through the Crystal from the evil Zebak from across the sea. The Zebak were the enemies of the Maris, and for generations they had tried to trick the Maris and the other inhabitants of the fertile land, wanting it for themselves and hoping to enslave the people. Those from the inland town of Rin had once been slaves to the Zebak, but had fought their way to freedom. They were a strong and proud people, living in harmony with the Maris and the free ranging Travelers.

One day, there was a great commotion amongst the fishers. Night had fallen, and the stars were shining brightly. But there was another light, farther away and closer to the horizon. The Maris wondered at what it could be, and reported the light to the Keeper of the Crystal. With the memories of the Crystal, he searched for the source. And he was amazed with what he found. The Keeper told the Maris what he knew, and messengers were sent to the Travelers and the people of Rin. But one boy already knew everything the Keeper had found.

Rowan of Rin had a special connection with the Keeper, for he had been the one to appoint the Maris once known as Doss to the honorable task of becoming guardian over the Crystal. Ever since the day of the Choosing, the two shared a physic connection. So Doss told Rowan before all else, for Rowan was a hero of the land.

The news was very great; the Bone Point Lighthouse of Deltora had been lit after sixteen years of darkness. None had traveled to the land for hundreds of years, for fear of what lived beyond the border. And the light had shone, but the light had been dimmed, as if passing through a perpetual haze. Now it burned bright and pure.

At the time of receiving the news, Rowan was fourteen, and had saved his people many a time. Once from starvation, once from a strange illness, twice from the Zebak, and most recently from the ice creepers. Ithad been two years since the light appeared before hehad torisk his life again, but it wasn't for his people. It wasn't for the Travelers or the Maris. It was for the Deltorans.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I am not Emily Rodda. I don't own Deltora Quest or Rowan of Rin. There, I said it. Happy?

Chapter 1

Rowan and Shaaran looked at the beautiful scene. The sun was setting on the waters of the sea. They were standing together on the ship that would be going to the land of Deltora in the morning. Now, though, it was being used as a party hall. Everyone was rejoicing that soon there would be more trade and commerce. Others were thrilled for the adventure. A few representatives were going from each group. Some men and women of Rin, a few Travelers, and the rest were the Maris. And for once, Rowan would not be going on this adventure. The Bukshah needed him. A possibly fruitless journey at sea had no need for the 'skinny rabbit'.

Rowan turned away from the red, flaming ball, and observed the placid deck. The ship was very large, since the journey to Deltora was a long and perilous one. Below deck there were endless coils of rope, food to last a hermit a lifetime, and goods that could hopefully be traded with the Deltorans.

"What do you think they will be like?" Shaaran said quietly. She gazed into his eyes, which had become filled with confusion. "The people of Deltora. Will they be like the warriors of Rin? Or you and me?" Rowan cracked a smile. Along with Shaaran, he was an oddity in the village. She understood Rowan the most, even though her brother Norris had tried to make her strong like the rest of Rin. Norris had been the oddity to his family, living in the land of the Zebak amongst the dreamers that were left behind. He was one of the few others that came close to understanding Rowan for this reason.

"Maybe they will be a mix. Some fight while others dream. And--" There was a sudden peal of laughter, and a small blonde figure attached itself to Rowan's leg. This was followed closely by another figure of small stature, but it had a darker head. Sefton and Jinee, the twins. The dark haired Sefton had been named for Rowan's father, who had died in a fire eight years before.

"Rowan," Jinee whined, "play!"

"Yes! Annad no play!" Sefton chimed in.

"Shaaran too," Jinee insisted, sucking her fingers. She looked up with admiring eyes at the gentle girl. Shaaran gave the toddler a smile.

"What will we play?" The twins exchanged a mischievous look before answering.

"Hide game."

Minutes later, Rowan found himself locked in a storage cabin with Shaaran. Those devious twins had followed them, and locked them in! while they had counted, Shaaran had entered the first door they came across, trying to make it easy for the young children. But instead they were locked in.

"Sefton! Jinee! Get us out right now! Anyone, please!" But it was no use. Everyone was most likely leaving, and there was too much noise to hear his weak cries. Although he wanted to get out, he would rather not have to face the embarrassment of explaining why he was in a closet with the girl he was courting. He doubted anyone would believe the truth in such a situation.

Behind Rowan, Shaaran sat down on a sack of vegetables, searching the dim room with her sharp eyes. She pulled out a few apples fro the burlap bag beside her.

"Might as well eat for now. They'll have to check the doors sooner or later." But it is the later part that worries me, Rowan thought.

As he took a bit into the sweet apple, the boat gave a great dip, and they could hear waves pounding the hull. A storm had come. There was another jolt, and bags and containers began spilling off shelves. Shaaran gripped the walls, but Rowan had nothing to support him. He fell backwards, and everything grew dark as his body hit the floor.

When Rowan awoke, he was looking up into Shaaran's face. She was sleeping peacefully, her hands holding his head in her lap. He got up slowly, so as not to disturb her dozing. There was light coming in through the crack under the door, and the boat was rocking melodically. Rowan gasped.

They had set sail!

Please R&R!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I am not Emily Rodda. I don't own DQ or RoR.

This took a while because I wasn't sure where I should narrate the story from.

Chapter 2

Rowan began to panic. He and Shaaran were trapped on a ship destined for the kingdom of Deltora, a land they had never even heard of but recently. The door was still locked, so no one on the vessel knew they were aboard. But Rowan was sure the his mother and family would have noticed. Or that the Keeper and Ogden would be able to tell through their strange mental connection to Rowan.

Maybe there was still a chance to turn around. Rowan went over to the door, listening for the sailors voices. If anyone came near, he could knock or shout. He strained his ears for a moment, but in vain. Everyone would be busy, attending to their duties. And now, Rowan faced the fact of having to tell Shaaran of their predicament.

He gave her a gentle nudge. After another she began to stir, blinking in her surroundings. With a jolt she seemed to remember everything and got up in a flash. But before Rowan could explain she looked into his eyes and, through some gift of understanding, knew the whole situation.

"Any idea how long we have been sailing?" Rowan shook his head. "Any idea what time it is?" Another shake. "This is a problem. We could be halfway to Derota."

"You mean Deltora."

"That's what I said. Deltora." Shaaran huffed. "What do we even know about it?" She had been left out of most Deltora discussions, as had the other youths in Rin. Rowan knew only because of his reputation in the village. And many villagers knew he could simply find out from the Keeper or Ogden.

"It is a large country," Rowan began, sitting on the floor, "bordered by a land called the Shadowlands. That country was once known as Pirra, until taken over by the Shadow Lord, the enemy of Deltora. Long ago, after his conquest in Pirra, he set his sights to Deltora. At the time, according to the Keeper, there were seven tribes. Each had their own powers and a magical talisman. These talismans were giant gems, I cannot remember them all now, but with the Shadow Lord threatening, the tribes were loosing individually. But a blacksmith called Adin had an idea. He forged a belt of steel, and persuaded each tribe to lend their gem to the belt. It is now known as the Belt of Deltora. The magic of the Belt kept the Shadow Lord from the land, and the Belt was meant to be worn be the descendants of Adin, the first king of Deltora."

"So what happened? Why have the people of Rin not heard of Deltora?"

"I'm not sure exactly, no one is except those that are from Deltora. But supposedly, each generation's ruler wore the Belt less and less, until it was too late. The Shadow Lord destroyed the Belt, and has held Deltora ever since." Rowan let out a deep breath after his tale. But Shaaran was still inquisitive.

"Why are we going to a land ruled by evil? How was the Belt destroyed if it was so powerful? Did the Deltorans free themselves? How long were they slaves? Could --"

"One at a time! Shaaran, you are inheriting too many of Annad's traits. First, the land shouldn't be ruled be evil anymore if this Bone Point Lighthouse is functioning. So I'm told. After the Belt was destroyed all trade died between Deltora and other lands, so we don't know the story exactly. As to how the Deltorans were freed, we also don't know. All we can assume is that they are if that lighthouse is shining. And Deltora was ruled by the Shadow Lord for at least," he counted his fingers, "nineteen years. That's how long it has been since the light went out."

"Almost twenty years! That explains why no child of Rin had heard of Deltora. But shouldn't those that are older have known? If we traded with them before…"

"We didn't. Other lands did, but the Keeper sensed the growing darkness. She knew of the danger that would come, and didn't want to welcome the Shadow Lord into our small but fertile land. And the Zebak were keeping us occupied, why give them an ally?

"But, since the darkness is weakened now, it seems to be safe."

For a long while, neither youth said anything. But Shaaran finally broke the silence by asking more questions. Some Rowan could answer, but others were more difficult.

"I do not know if they still have a king or queen." "No, I don't know who the last ruler was." "I think they are humans. Maris? Maybe not."

After a bombardment of questions, Rowan heard footsteps. "Someone's coming!" He went to the door, and began knocking. The steps stopped, and slowly they continued, shuffling over to the door. There was a scraping noise as the lock was removed, and the door opened. Rowan was face to face with Perlain, a Maris that had helped him save his sister and rescue Shaaran and Norris from the Zebak.

"What are you two doing here?"

I'll stop there for now. Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Despite not having been here for a long time, I am still not Emily Rodda.

I know I was off of the site for a long time, so I'm going to try to finish this story.

Chapter 3

Perlain listened patiently to Rowan and Shaaran's tale. By the time they were finished he laughed.

"Rowan, your little brother and sister are quite mischievous. Right before we set sail we saw them laughing with Annad. I don't doubt your story," the Maris smiled. "I wonder if they told her what they had done…We set sail once we thought everyone was off the ship because the storm winds were promising."

"What? You didn't wait until morning?"

"No, Rowan. The gales were powerful, and blowing in the right direction. We had to take advantage of the situation. I'm sure if we had waited, you two wouldn't be here now."

"How far along are we, Perlain?" Shaaran asked in her quiet, nervous voice.

"Too far to turn around, I'm afraid," he sighed. "We passing through some doldrums and we're almost through. No one will even consider turning back now."

Rowan and Shaaran exchanged a glance. Clearing his throat, Rowan asked, "What are we passing through?"

"I forgot that you know little of sailing. Let's say we're sailing through a patch of sea that has very little wind. Progress is slow, so once we pass out of this, we'll be speeding along to Detoria."

"Deltora."

"Oh, yes. We'll be less than a day's sailing from the country. We're three days from the coast of our land."

"Three days?" Shaaran gasped. "But we have not been sailing that long! When Rowan fell unconscious, I stayed awake during the storm. Isn't it only the morning after that same storm? Didn't you set sail just last night?"

"Yes, but as I said, the winds were to our favor. It managed to carry our ship almost half the distance. The storm cell only died out over this doul- I mean, this windless spot."

"So after we arrive in Deltora, it will take four days to return?" Rowan asked, wondering how anxious his family must have been.

Perlain cast his eyes to the floor. "We don't really know. Without strong winds at our back, it could take even longer. And depending on what we find in this new land, we may not be able to return at all."

"Surely it can't be that dangerous?" Shaaran asked.

"Although the Keeper and I believe Deltora has been freed, we cannot be certain. There is a chance the Shadow Lord found a way to bring back the light, but according to the Keeper's memories, that is impossible," Rowan explained. "It has been two years since the lighthouse began functioning and it has yet to falter."

"We hope the land will be free of evil, but cannot be certain. I can, however, be certain, that your unexpected addition to this voyage will be quite amusing to the rest of the crew. Shall we go tell them?" Perlain smiled again. "They will certainly be surprised."


End file.
